Malta will be voting at the forthcoming meeting of the Council of Ministers on an application by one of the bio-tech corporations to release on to the market genetically modified corn in the form of animal feed.

“The bio-tech giants, mostly US based, are working their way up the food chain with GMOs. This process increases the control of these multinationals over agriculture,” said AD’s international spokesman Ralph Cassar.

He advised consumers to check the Friends of the Earth Europe website (www.foeeurope.org) for up-to-date information on the campaign for a GMO-free Europe.

“The Maltese government is voting in Europe while it has not yet told the Maltese public what its stand on GMOs is. AD continues to insist that the Maltese Islands are declared a GMO-free zone in order to strengthen our stand within Europe against gene-altered crops on our plates and in the environment.

“The declaration of a GMO-free zone would also benefit rural development in Malta and Gozo. This would increase the demand for Maltese fresh produce”, Mr Cassar concluded.